Comparison
Windcraft vs Figma variables
Figma variables are how design defines values and modes in Figma. They capture intent beautifully. What they do not do is reach your AI coding tools or guarantee the code that ships matches them. Windcraft is the code-side half: the values your AI reads and the analyzer enforces.
Figma variables live where design happens — they express what the system should be, with modes for theming. Windcraft lives where code happens: it makes those values the source your Tailwind config and AI tools read, and it checks that shipped code honors them. Design intent in Figma and shipped reality in code drift apart unless something enforces the link; Windcraft is that something on the code side.
How they compare
| Aspect | Figma variables | Windcraft |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | Figma (the design file) | Your repo (the code) |
| Reaches AI code tools | No | Yes — served over MCP |
| Enforces shipped code | No — design and code can diverge | Yes — analyzer checks the code |
| Code outputs | Manual to wire into code | Generates Tailwind, CSS vars, RN theme |
When Figma variables is the right call
Figma variables win for design work: exploring options, theming with modes, and holding the design source of truth your team designs against. Windcraft is not a design tool and will not replace them. They are complementary — Figma variables define the intent, Windcraft makes the code read those values and flags where the code wandered off them.
FAQ
- Does Windcraft replace Figma variables?
- No. They are on different sides of the workflow. Figma variables express design intent; Windcraft makes the code read and respect those values. Keep designing with variables and let Windcraft enforce the result in code.
- Can the two stay in sync?
- That is the point of using both. Treat Figma variables as the design source and Windcraft as the code source of truth; align the values once and Windcraft keeps the generated outputs and AI tools reading them.
- Why is enforcing code separate from Figma?
- Because Figma cannot see your code. A variable in Figma has no idea whether a developer or an AI tool hard-coded a different hex in the app. Windcraft checks the code itself, which is where drift actually ships.